The following relates generally to remote controls and, more particular, relates to a system and method for using an universal remote control to access extended operational functions of a device.
Universal remote controls, which are well-known in the art, typically offer a preprogrammed set of standardized keys for use in commanding common operational functions, such as volume, channel, transport, etc., for each device type supported by the universal remote control, e.g., TV, VCR, DVD, etc. However, unlike a remote control that is supplied with a device, an universal remote control is often incapable of commanding the full range of operational functions available on a device. In this regard, to avoid consumer confusion caused by the use of a large number of keys on an universal remote control, manufacturers of universal remote controls are often required to decide whether or not to provide a key for commanding uncommon functions of a possible target device. By way of example, a manufacturer of universal remote control must decide if the keypad should include a key to command selection of a preferred screen aspect ratio which may be supported by one TV, selection of closed captioning which may be supported by another TV, and/or selection of sophisticated picture-in-picture controls supported by still another TV.
To increase the amount of operational functions that may be commanded via an universal remote control, various methods have been proposed. Examples of such methods may be seen in U.S. Pat. No. 5,515,052, entitled “Universal Remote Control with Function Synthesis,” and U.S. Pat. No. 4,959,810, entitled “Universal Remote Control Device,” both of which are assigned to the assignee of this application and both or which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety. While the methods disclosed in these patents have enjoyed some success, they disadvantageously require a consumer to engage in a sometimes lengthy interaction with an external data source, such as a reference manual, customer support hot line, or the like, to obtain numeric values which must then be entered into or programmed on the universal remote control to cause the universal remote control to transmit the desired command(s).